The Encyclopedia of the ecosustainability

3 April 2017

Discovering where green economy words come from

We often speak about ecosustainability, sustainable development, ecology, biocompatible materials but have you ever thought where are they from? And why do we use these words? Maybe still no, but do not worry. The GreenWatcher has thought for you! In this article we are going back to find out the origins of words connected to green economy.

Ecosustainable comes from the Greek word “oika” that means “home” and from the Latin verb “sustinere” that means “to preserve”. These two words together mean “to keep the home rules” and for home it is included every reality, material, product or activity that, becoming continuous in time, keeps unchanged the rules of the ecosystem where it is located.

For this reason we speak about sustainabledevelopment, just to indicate that economic development compatible with the environmental protection. A development that is able to satisfy the needs of present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own, as it is termed in Brundtland report of 1987 of the World Commission on Environment and Development.

Biocompatible comes from the Greek word “bios” that means “life” and from the Latin verb “cumpatire” that means “to take part”. So the meaning is “to take part to life”. We use biocompatible for every material, product or activity that, becoming continuous in time, does not cause alterations to the normal existence of the ecosystem elements with which it interacts.

Ecology comes from the Greek word “oika” that means “home” and from the Latin word “logos” that means “analysis” or “study”. Indeed it is the scientific analysis on the interactions between organisms and their environment. The ecology as a scientific discipline originated in the mid-19th century. The term was introduced in 1866 by the German zoologist E. H. Haeckel.